Back Down To Earth
I am not sure if I have ever been so excited to hike as today. I have wanted to walk on the The Great Wall forever and I don't think I really ever cared if it was a refurbished section or not, but I booked a place near a section that is old, beat up, and rough. I booked the right place. After a Skype from my little buddy Taylor (made my day), I headed out to a section of the wall they call the coiled dragon. Hard to describe it, but the wall weaved up and down hills for as far as the eye can see. I would still be out walking on it except they put a military installation by the wall and stopped traffic at a certain point. My first 2 hours I saw nobody. It was quiet and I wandered around with a silly grin on my face. Couldn't believe that I was alone on the
Mike Rose
97 chapters
Great Wall Hike
August 28, 2017
|
North of Beijing
I am not sure if I have ever been so excited to hike as today. I have wanted to walk on the The Great Wall forever and I don't think I really ever cared if it was a refurbished section or not, but I booked a place near a section that is old, beat up, and rough. I booked the right place. After a Skype from my little buddy Taylor (made my day), I headed out to a section of the wall they call the coiled dragon. Hard to describe it, but the wall weaved up and down hills for as far as the eye can see. I would still be out walking on it except they put a military installation by the wall and stopped traffic at a certain point. My first 2 hours I saw nobody. It was quiet and I wandered around with a silly grin on my face. Couldn't believe that I was alone on the
Great Wall in China. Surprised I didn't trip and fall off. I was in kind of a daze! Maybe that was heat exhaustion as it was a beautiful hot day. I spent 4 hours hiking in total going from tower to tower. Amazing thing is when you get to the top at a tower, you look and all you can see is more towers and the wall going on forever. I kept thinking I wish my girls were here to see this with me. I hope they see it one day because it really is an amazing place. I go out to a real steep section tomorrow, so that will be interesting. I can see it from the hostel and it looks like a bit of a challenge. Should be good views from up there. I can walk away tomorrow knowing I stood on one of the most incredible feats of mankind. I don't think I will want to leave this fabulous place, but there are always new and exciting things down the road to see. This may have been the greatest August 29th of my life. Has to be since I can't remember any other August 29ths!
1.
It all started with the first grey hair.........
2.
On the Road again.....
3.
Eataly and Old things......
4.
Culture Day
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The Medici Curse
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A Slanted View.......
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Lining up for David
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Holy Cannoli
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Exploring Paradise......
10.
Verona and Shakespeare......
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South to the home of Pizza and Mozzarella.....
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Sunday is not a slow day in Napoli...
13.
Pom Pom's for Pompeii
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Totally Different.....
15.
Hidden Gem of the Adriatic.....
16.
Kotor below the mountain.....
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King's Landing......
18.
Surf and Sun .......
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A Pleasant Day of Travel.........
20.
Rainy day in Croatia......
21.
Plitvice and Plum Brandy.......
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Whacked Crazy Day of Travel ......
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Fathers Day in Buda (with a) Pest.
24.
Relaxed Day in a Vibrant City.....
25.
Vienna the Good, the Bad, and the Lucky....
26.
Music and Mountains.....
27.
More of Magnificent Vienna...
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Day and Night in Prague.....
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Sunday in Prague.....
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Lots of Bones........
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Beer is Cheaper than Water......
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Perogies in Poland....
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A Sobering Day.......
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Happy Birthday Canada from Poland......
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A Few Days in Warsaw
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Shall we Gdansk.....
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Long Trip to Lithuania
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Vilnius in the Air and on the Ground...."
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Nida Break......
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Latvian Charm......
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Riga in the Rain....
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Estonian Excitement......
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Taking It Easy in Tallinn
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Pasty No More
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Hel(yeah)sinki
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Helsinki Highlights.....
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Sad Day as Katelyn Goes Home....
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To Russia With Love......
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Peterhof the Russian Versailles
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St. Petersburg Crazy........
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Moscow or Bust
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Moscow's Finest.......
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Moscow Winding Down...
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Gorky Park......
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Trans Siberian Railway........
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Baikal in the Rain.....
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Russia Ends, Mongolia Begins......
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Mongolia Camping Trip..........
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Busy Beijing
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Beijing and the Great Wall
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Great Wall Hike
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Great Wall Hike 2
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Back to Beijing and Summer Palace...
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Walk around Beijing
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Ancient City of Pingyao
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Warriors of Xi'an
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Panda-mania
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The Fun of Travelling
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Lijiang a Breathe of Fresh Air......
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Tiger Leaping Gorge-ous
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Stone Forest
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West Mountain of Kunming......
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Hot and Humid Guilin
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Rice, Rice, and More Rice......
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Terrific Tianmen Mountain.....
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Avatar Park in China.....
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Yellow Mountain in the Sky.....
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Tranquility in Chaos.......
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Modern Urban China
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Tibet or Bust
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Tibetan Temples and Taboos.....
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Treading in the Footsteps of the Dalai Lama...
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Tibetan Countryside......
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Everest
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Nepal Travel Hell........
86.
Trekking into the Top of the World.....
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Life Between Treks
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Annapurna Beauty
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Pokhara Relax Days
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Jungle Adventures
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End of Nepal
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To Thailand for Rest
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Beach Life
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Week on the Beach
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Christmas in Paradise
96.
Few days of Cool
97.
Fun in the Sun
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